Maine state Democratic Sens. Colleen Lachowicz and Margaret Craven donned clown noses during a Department of Health and Human Services public hearing about the availability of beds for low-income citizens in nursing homes, according to the Maine GOP.

The scandal-ridden wind energy project co-founded by liberal “independent” Maine senate candidate Angus King received more than $33 million in cash under the 1603 program of the economic stimulus in June, according to the U.S. Treasury.

Former Maine governor and independent Senate candidate Angus King is an alternative energy entrepreneur who made the most of an electric-utility restructuring law that he signed during his governorship, while obtaining loan guarantees via the same program that loaned more than $500 million to the failed solar panel manufacturer Solyndra, records show.

Independent Maine Senate candidate Angus King’s fiscal record during his eight-year tenure as the state’s governor is under fire from Maine Republicans and outside pro-business groups and becoming a major factor in the three-way race.

Former Maine governor Angus King’s independent Senate candidacy has received a boost from the state’s mainstream media outlets—several of which were recently purchased by a high-profile liberal benefactor and King crony—and the bias is altering Republican campaign strategy, according to political insiders in Maine.